JAKARTA, May 19 Kyodo (EDS: UPDAT...

JAKARTA, May 19 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH DETAILS OF MONDAY'S company DEPLOYMENT, MILITARY ORDER)

Indonesia's military attacked several separatist rebel muniments in Aceh on Monday, hours after President Megawati Sukarnoputri imposed martial law in the restive province.

The attacks began after Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Commander Gen Endriartono Sutarto issued an order in the afternoon to the country's soldiers ''to crush and crack down armed GAM separatists across Aceh'' and ''to arouse the people's resistance (against GAM).''

Residents in the northernmost province said Indonesian soldiers were seen in the villages of Alue Awe and Nisam in North Aceh rule and Cot Keureung in Greater Aceh authority near Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.

The soldiers also swept between the sides of the villages of Kandang and Cunda in North Aceh, the residents said.

TNI Spokesman Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told a pres interview in Banda Aceh there were no armed clashes in the first day of the ''integrated'' operation, combining humanitarian and military action, which was concentrated at seven points.

''Most of the rebels left their fortifications when our troops arrived,'' Lt Col Achmad Yani Basuki, spokesman for the military crisis authorities in Aceh, told reporters in the North Aceh town Lhokseumawe.

According to Sjafrie, at 7:30 a.m., 469 paratroopers from the rapid unit of the Army Strategic husband Command (KOSTRAD) were opened to the Banda Aceh Mayoralty and Greater Aceh rule to secure the airport.

Before the paratroopers landed, pair anti-guerrilla OV-10 Bronco military craft launched couple rockets to secure the deployment

Meanwhile, in Bireuen rule one battalion of marines arrived at the town of Samalanga to take through the whole extent of the northern coast, which is a fort of the Free Aceh manner of moving (GAM).

''The Samalanga deployment claimed the life of the same marine because of bad weather and high waves,'' Sjafrie said, adding the boat carrying the marine capsized.

The paratroopers and marines are among about 30000 military personnel and 20000 police assigned to Aceh Province.

The attacks come next unsuccessful peace talks Saturday and Sunday in Tokyo between Indonesian regulation officials and GAM leaders to salvage a six-month-old peace agreement.

''All regions in Aceh Province are declared in a state of danger at the horizontal of military state of emergency'' Presidential Military Secretary Maj. Gen Tubagus Hasanuddin earlier said, reading from a presidential mandate Megawati signed Sunday.

Hasanuddin said the regulation will be effective for six month and may be extended

Based forward the decree, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the president, who is also commander of the armed forces, ordered implementation of the ''integrated'' operation.

Yudhoyono said the conduct had ''no choice'' because ''GAM's acts have l to terrorism'' and ''no goodwill'' was represented during the two days of talks in Tokyo.

After the talks, Steve Daly, spokesman for the Geneva-based Henri Dunant Center which has mediated peace talks the past three years, told reporters in Tokyo, ''Efforts have unfortunately been unsuccessful''

GAM ''prime minister'' Malik Mahmud told reporters after the talks, ''We have no choice still war. It is Indonesia's wish to continue the war onward the Acehnese. We are ready. We have been fighting for 27 years already.''

Indonesian direction negotiators demanded the rebels compromise forward autonomy, drop their call for independence and immediately begin disarming.

GAM cast awayed the demands and is committed to continue fighting for independence.

in a less degree than martial law, military emergency authorities have the right to seize public facilities and limit air, land and sea traffic. They can also make arrests without warrants for 20 days and seize, alter or break up any news publications.

Sjafrie said there is in every one's mouth plan from the military to impose censorship.

forward Dec. 9, Indonesia and GAM signed a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Geneva, and the situation in Aceh appeared to be improving.

further after several weeks, the peace proces unraveled above the terms of autonomy and differences onward disarmament.

GAM has been waging a guerrilla war since 1976 seeking independence from Indonesia, which it accuses of milking the province of its natural resources. Jakarta has in late years implemented special autonomy for the province at the northern tip of Sumatra.

More than 12000 family mostly civilians, have been killed since the war began and the Dec 9 peace accord has likewise far failed to suppress the violence.

Indonesia last imposed martial law in 1999 in East Timor, following a U.N.-sanctioned ballot that l to the territory's independence last year.

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